Certain imagery-based psychotherapy techniques may help reduce fear of failure connected to painful childhood experiences, according to research from scientists at SWPS University and the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology. The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.
Difficult experiences early in life, including criticism, neglect, or severe reactions from caregivers, can influence emotional well-being and quality of life years later. How adults respond when a child makes a mistake may be especially important in shaping future patterns of thought and emotion. In some cases, those experiences can contribute to a fear of failure rooted in the belief that mistakes make a person less worthy in the eyes of others.
Researchers from the Poznań-based Laboratory of Affective Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychology, SWPS University, and the Laboratory of Brain Imaging at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology in Warsaw set out to determine whether imagery-based psychotherapy could reduce the ongoing effects of these painful memories on everyday life.
Testing Whether Memory Work Can Create Lasting Change
The randomized, controlled clinical trial included 180 young adults (between 18 and 35 years of age) who experienced fear of failure. During a two-week period, participants took part in four therapy sessions focused on difficult childhood memories involving criticism.
One group used the Imagery Exposure (IE) technique. Participants were asked to recall situations that had triggered fear or anxiety (the active control group).
A second group received Imagery Rescripting (ImRs), a technique designed to change the way a memory unfolds in the imagination. Participants brought a distressing experience to mind and then imagined a “defender” (e.g., a therapist) entering the scene, confronting the person delivering the criticism, and offering support to the child.
The third group used the same therapeutic approach, but with a 10-minute delay procedure (ImRs-DSR). Researchers designed this delay to interfere with the memory trace associated with the critical experience, potentially strengthening the intervention’s effects.
Participants completed questionnaires and interviews, while researchers also tracked physiological measures. Follow-up assessments took place three and six months later.
Fear, Guilt, and Stress Declined
All of the imagery-based approaches produced a significant and lasting reduction in fear of failure. Participants also reported lower levels of negative emotions, including sadness and guilt.
Their bodies appeared to respond differently as well. Physiological reactions to memories of criticism decreased, indicating that recalling distressing experiences no longer triggered the same level of intense stress. These improvements remained evident during follow-ups at three and six months, suggesting that the psychological effects were stable over time.
“The study shows that it is possible to reduce the intensity of negative emotions and arousal associated with memories of childhood criticism. Properly selected techniques can influence how these memories are experienced, making them less burdensome,” says study co-author Julia Bączek, a psychologist from the Laboratory of Affective Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychology, SWPS University.
Why Surprise May Matter
The researchers found that imagery rescripting worked especially well when it produced a moment of surprise. They linked this effect to prediction error, which occurs when there is a mismatch between what someone expects and what actually happens.
That unexpected difference may help loosen established emotional patterns and make it easier for the mind to replace old, painful responses with new ones.
“We have shown that a crucial part of imagery-based therapy is creating a discrepancy between what the patient expects and what actually happens in the new memory. It is this surprise that paves the way for a lasting therapeutic change,” says study co-author Stanisław Karkosz, a cognitive scientist from the Laboratory of Affective Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychology, SWPS University.
Painful Memories Do Not Have to Stay Emotionally Fixed
The findings suggest that imagery-based techniques can change how people respond to current challenges by allowing them to “write” new, safe endings to painful experiences from the past.
The results also indicate that difficult memories (including those related to failure) do not necessarily have to be experienced in the same emotional way forever. Julia Bączek emphasizes that past experiences can be processed differently over time, rather than remaining fixed and unchangeable.
